


Coming Back to You

by thespectacledgirl



Category: Airen - Fandom, Lee Seung Gi, Park Seo Joon - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26044138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespectacledgirl/pseuds/thespectacledgirl
Summary: All I could think about was how the tabloids would react when someone who could identify Na Young and they would immediately record this particular moment. It would definitely ruin her reputation, especially when her new product line was launching at the end of the month. However, the guy wouldn’t back down. I immediately ran towards her and pushed her away, bowing down in front of him and apologizing on Na Young's behalf. Na Young wouldn’t stop talking shit about this guy and I was tempted to slap her, not until another guy steps in.“Seo Joon! Stop it. You’re arguing with a woman in public!” He yelled, which Seo Joon stopped talking.I immediately recognized that voice. I closed my eyes, hoping I was mistaken but of course life didn’t turn out that way. I turned around with my head down, apologizing again and then when I raised my head, our eyes interlocked - and then everything came rushing back to me.
Relationships: Lee Seung Gi/Original Female Character(s), Park Seo Joon/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

I’ve always wanted to protect people. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was the eldest in the family and it was in my nature to protect my siblings from anything or anyone or if I just watched a lot of action films with my father while growing up. Either way, I made a promise to myself that my goal in life was to protect people. 

So here I was, head of the protection team of a high profile security agency - The Alpha. I was the first female to obtain this position at a young age, which made me a very respected person in the whole agency. However, we weren’t allowed to disclose to anyone, including our family and loved ones, about our job. Even our headquarter is located behind a small convenience store to avoid public exposure. Our boss, Lee Sang Yoon, wanted to make this very exclusive. Only people with well-known names and backgrounds knew our agency. Even with this, we still try to give back: once a month, we run a small drive for out of school youth or other organizations to help the community be a better place. That was our way to say to our families that we do work in a nice company.

The Alpha was different from the other protective services. It protected our identity in public - we wore disguises while protecting our clients and we weren’t allowed to use our real names in public. Lee Sang Yoon was very meticulous so that when things went sideways, our personal lives wouldn’t be in danger. 

Lee Sang Yoon was one of my professors in college and he personally contacted me after graduating. He said he saw my potential and he wanted me to be part of his team. I immediately said yes since I didn’t hear any response from the companies I applied for. I immediately signed the contract after meeting with Professor Lee and soon after, I was on top of my game.

I trained hard to be the person I was today: I pushed myself to train intensely to be physically fit, overcame the fear of gunshots and explosions and became a certified gun owner (for the sake of my job), and as I moved up, I didn’t have time to keep up with my friends. Thankfully I had Han Na Young with me.

Na Young was the person I never thought I’d be friends with. She was the CEO of Rain Corporation and she was one of our clients under my team. Back then, she was still a small business owner who sought protection so she hired us through the help of her father, who was one of the richest people in the construction industry while I was still a rookie so Professor Lee placed me there, thinking it would be the best starting ground. 

And we unexpectedly became best friends.

~

“One bottle of beer please!” I shouted as soon as I entered the Firehouse, a pub in front of our office. It was our after work drinks place and the only place I was comfortable drinking. 

“Hey Ae Na!” Hyun Bin, the owner and bartender, shouted. “Coming right up!”

The Firehouse used to be a small store that was burned down in the early 2000s. Hyun Bin bought it for a cheap price and turned it into a pub and now the people at The Alpha and other businesses in the area became regulars. I often went here after office hours if we didn’t have any mission for the day - with colleagues or alone, I was fine either way. I just loved the atmosphere of old wood and the smell of liquor.

I sat at the bar while waiting for my beer and a mug full of ice. Knowing Hyun Bin, he probably asked the cook to get me some curly fries on the side. A few seats away from me was a lady, wearing a nice dress. She had her head down but I could hear her sobbing.

“What’s her deal?” I asked as soon as Hyun Bin gave me my beer and fries.

“She’s been here since five o’ clock. She gave me her phone, wallet, and car keys and told me to keep the shots coming,” he said and we both looked at her. “She probably got dumped or something.”

We moved on - Hyun Bin took care of the other customers while I opened my phone, checking whatever’s the latest trend on social media, and all of a sudden, the lady started crying.

“Am I not pretty enough? Am I not smart enough?” She looked up and saw her face. I recognized that face. It was Han Na Young, my client. I was her bodyguard whenever she would go out for business meetings while another person was assigned to her whenever she would go around for personal matters. Then she turned to her left, facing me. She looked like a disaster - her makeup was ruined and her eyes were red from crying. “YOU! DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?”

I looked behind me to see if she was talking to someone else.

“YEAH, YOU!” She yelled again. “DO NOT GET A BOYFRIEND. BOYS WILL TELL YOU THEY LOVE YOU THEN LEAVE YOU!”

I chuckled. “Been there, done that.”

She immediately sat next to me. “Right?! No matter how pretty we are or smart or funny, it will never be enough” She cried.

I wasn’t really sure if I was allowed to talk to her since she was my client but as far as i know, it wasn’t stated in the contract that we weren’t allowed to talk outside of work unless we were on duty.

“Drink with me!” She said and yelled at Hyun Bin to give us a couple of tequila shots. I didn’t turn them down, thinking she needed someone to talk to and I took it as an opportunity to score free drinks - I had high alcohol tolerance so it was fine for me to down some shots. Two birds, one stone. 

She then ranted about her problem - how the guy she was dating used her for his business. She was blindsided. It didn’t cost her that much but what she felt for him was real.

I clearly knew what she was talking about. When she became our client, we did a background on Patrick, the guy she was seeing at that time. It was something mandatory in our work: do an intensive background check on everyone involved in the client’s life. We monitored their every move and I was the one who kept an eye on him. Something about him didn’t feel right but I wasn’t in the right place to say anything. 

I sent a message to her bodyguard on duty, asking where he was since he was supposed to be taking care of Na Young. He replied that Na Young asked him to leave since she wanted to be alone but he stayed nearby just in case something happened.

Na Young screamed and cried while downing shots. I comforted her, knowing that feeling. She got so drunk that she passed out beside me. Thank god the place wasn’t crowded for people to complain about the drunk girl screaming about her ex.

I sighed.  _ Is this even part of my job? _

I called up her bodyguard to let him know the situation. Hyun Bin gave me her personal belongings while the bodyguard carried her. We drove to her house and it turned out, she lived alone. I told the bodyguard that I was going to take care of her and he could take the night off.

Na Young was surprised to see me when she woke up the next morning.

“I thought you left,” she said. “I don’t even remember what happened.”

“Let’s just say you poured your heart out to me while downing probably more than twenty shots of tequila.” I laughed.

She groaned. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine! You don’t have to be sorry.” I proceeded to tell her I ordered some hangover food in the kitchen and left some medicines, just in case something happens.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I guess I just needed to talk to someone.”

“You’re welcome,” I smiled. “I have to go.” 

“Will you please give me your name?” She asked.

“Kim Ae Na,” I said.

“I’m Han Na Young,”

“I know, you screamed it out last night at the pub,” I said and she groaned again in disbelief.

I laughed in return. “See you around!”

“Hey! Before you go, give me your number. I need to repay you somehow,” she stood up and handed me her phone.

I gave her my personal number and she told me she would call me to have dinner some time. I agreed and left, taking a cab on the way home.

A few days later, she hit me up, asking to have dinner with her and turned into a routine. We would catch up with each other, even though I couldn’t talk to her about my work. Sometimes she would tell me about her day, not knowing I was the one guarding her all along.

Years went by and she asked me if she wanted to live with her since I was alone in a studio apartment. I agreed, thinking of how much I could save. Good thing Professor Lee didn’t interfere, even Na Young’s dad found it delightful that Na Young had a true friend. As long as she didn’t find out about what I was doing, we were good.

Whenever she asked, I would answer that I was an assistant of a high profile psychologist. had a minor in psychology anyway so it made sense. Sometimes she was persistent about my job since I would leave for days and come back tired. I just would always tell her I was on a business trip with my boss or I went to visit my family but in reality, I was busy with other clients who needed more manpower. Soon enough I was the head of the team, which meant I didn’t have to be on the field but more on guiding the bodyguards via hidden mics and earpieces. Still it was something that drained me but I was happy.

I was doing so well: doing a job I love, living with my best friend, and I haven’t thought of him since he left me.

And everything changed when I saw him at the office.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, did you hear? They’re interviewing two new guys right now for our team!” Kang Ha Neul said as soon as he got in. He was ten minutes late again.

Ha Neul was my partner here at work. We both got hired, trained, and promoted at the same time. The only reason why I got the highest position in my department was he was always late but it didn’t matter to him if he didn’t get it, he was happy for me. We were like siblings in the department even though he was a few years older than me; we would argue loudly but you would always see us eat our meals together.

“Really?” 

“Yeah!” Ha Neul seemed happy about the news. “Apparently Professor Lee knows one of them. Do you wanna take a peek?”

We had a vacant time so I agreed. We walked through the hallway leading towards the interview hall. There were two rooms: the interview room itself and the hidden room that had a one-way mirror so you could see and hear who was being interviewed.

I opened the door and froze at the moment I heard his voice. My whole body wouldn’t move, as if my feet were planted on the floor.

_ This wasn’t happening. _

Professor Lee was already watching the interview and nodding, as if he agreed to what he just heard.

“Ae Na, come on.” Ha Neul pulled me in and my heart was suddenly beating fast. Why was I so nervous?

My head turned towards the one-way mirror only to see him smiling at the interviewer. He still had his charming smile - the smile that would turn my sad days into happy ones. He knew how much I loved that smile. And truth be told, I missed looking at it.

It has been five years since I last saw him. Five years since he left me. Five years.

And now he was in front of me, but he didn’t know I was here.

Why do I feel like the universe was playing some kind of a sick joke on me?

“Ae Na, remember him?” Professor Lee asked.

I didn’t respond.

“You know him?” Ha Neul’s eyes widened.

“One of them was Ae Na’s classmate back in college.” Professor Lee answered.

I didn’t tell anyone about him - not even Na Young. The people I met after college didn’t know he was part of my life. I didn’t want people to know.

Ha Neul was so happy. “Please hire him! I need him!” He told Professor Lee and he just laughed in return.

I didn’t speak anymore, as if I was listening intently to the interview. I didn’t want to talk anyway; I might say something I would regret.

“So Lee Seung Gi,” the interviewer said. I haven’t heard that name in so long. “What makes you think you deserve a position in this agency, knowing you only had two years of experience in this field?”

_ Two years? We graduated five years ago. What the hell did he do for three years? _

“I wanted to travel the world before focusing on what I wanted to do in my career,” he said, as if he read my mind. “My previous job wasn’t in this level like The Alpha. I want to challenge myself by immersing myself in diverse responsibilities and mutually enable my expertise to benefit the environment.”

_ Good answer. _

“After traveling for a year, I immediately trained under the air force for six months and then trained in the marines for another six months. I wanted to put all my experience into something. Like I said earlier, my previous job didn’t really require any level of expertise. It wouldn’t help me grow as the person I want to be. I deserve this position because I continually nurture my competence and relentlessly seek to enhance the output you so require.”

“He’s good with words,” Ha Neul commented.

The interview went on for a while and I excused myself. I didn’t want to breathe the same air as him. 

“They already interviewed the other guy,” Professor Lee said before I stepped out. “Park Seo Joon.”

“Are you going to hire them?” Ha Neul asked.

I stepped out before hearing the answer. I wasn’t sure what to feel if Seung Gi got hired or not - would I be happy? Angry? Sad?

My thoughts went on for the day and thank god Ha Neul didn’t bring up the topic when he came back from watching. It came to a point where I couldn’t work properly - I had to stay late just to finish my tasks. I hated myself for being distracted.

I came home late once again and of course, Na Young was going to pester me with it. She hated it when we couldn’t eat dinner and watch the latest TV show together.

“Why are you late again? You missed the new episode of Vincenzo!” She asked as soon as I stepped in our living room.

“I had a long day at work,” I sat down slumply and closed my eyes. My head was full of uncertainties. I hated this feeling.

“Do you want to sleep? Or do you still have the energy to play Call of Duty?” She asked.

Besides being one of the youngest female CEOs in the country, she was also a streamer. She loved playing games so much that she decided to start streaming. The money she got was being donated to different charities. She just wanted to play and share it with the world.

I nodded and went to our entertainment room where our gaming computers were placed. The only reason why I got into gaming was Na Young - she influenced me so much that it came to a point where I would play for a long time, forgetting I had a job, but I stopped when I realized that I still had another job. Nowadays, I would play when I was stressed or when Na Young would need me in her stream.

She set up her stream while I ate dinner in front of the computer. After fifteen minutes or so, she was ready.

“Hey, what’s up you guys? It’s Na Young here, ready to bring you entertainment!” She said her intro and for some reason, it always made me laugh. “I’m here with Ae Na! Any Ae Na fans out there, you’re in luck!”

I laughed again and waved in front of the camera.

“Okay tonight we’re going to play Call of Duty so let’s go!” 

We got into the game and we immediately died as soon as we landed.

“I knew we should’ve not landed there!” I yelled.

“Let’s switch to multiplayer so we could warm up a bit,” Na Young said.

We played and played and played until I no longer thought of him. Weird how this game would make me relax.

She stopped streaming and we both shut down our computers. We both said our good night and as soon as I hit the bed, my mind went back to him.

I hate the fact that he could easily haunt me. I thought I'd moved on but I guess I just buried the pain somewhere in me. I didn’t want to deal with him - it was all too much. 

I opened my phone and sent Professor Lee a text message, saying I don’t want Lee Seung Gi to be part of my team and put my phone on airplane mode so I wouldn’t know his response.

Seeing him today was enough but working with him? The universe must be torturing me.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, I switched off the airplane mode on my phone to see if Professor Lee responded but he hasn’t. I was a hundred percent sure he was going to talk to me later. So I had no choice but to wash up, put on my usual work outfit (polo, blazer, slacks, and heels - as if we were allowed to wear anything else), and left. I texted Ha Neul, telling him to bring breakfast on his way to work, thinking that I should just eat after talking to Professor Lee regarding Seung Gi.

Thinking about his name made me sick to my stomach. I really didn’t want to see him or be near him or anything.

As soon as I clocked in, Professor Lee called me into his office. For some reason, my soles felt heavier and I could feel my body sweating. Why was I so nervous?

“Close the door,” he said as soon as I entered. “Please sit down.”

I did what I was told but I didn’t raise my head.

“Kim Ae Na, I reached out to Lee Seung Gi because I thought you would like to work with your old classmate. Now why wouldn’t you like to work with him?” He asked.

I didn’t say anything, too embarrassed to say why. It just occurred to me how unprofessional I sounded through my message last night. 

“We need manpower, especially in your division. You need someone who is a professional and knows what type of work he’s getting into,” he told me. “Now if you have some personal issues towards him then I suggest you fix it outside of work.”

I nodded.

“You may go.”

I stood up and walked towards my office.

One of the perks of being the head is I had my own office space. I had privacy all to myself but then I remembered Ha Neul.

I opened my door and saw him inside, holding a paper bag one hand and two coffee cups placed on a holder. His smile disappeared when he saw my gloomy face.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

I sat down on my office chair and groaned. I didn’t want to tell him about my past but I needed someone to talk. “Promise you won’t tell anyone.”

He nodded. I knew he wouldn’t but I just needed the assurance.

I took a deep breath. “Lee Seung Gi’s my ex-boyfriend.”

His eyes opened wide. “WHAT?! SINCE WHEN?!”

“Long version or short version?”

“Tell me the short version now and tell me the long version later at the Firehouse.” He said and he knew I wouldn’t say no, knowing how much I love going there.

“Fine well we dated back in college and broke up with me through text a week before our graduation and I haven’t spoken to him since then.” I said and rummaged through the small paper bag. Ha Neul bought my favorite breakfast sandwich.

“But he’s way older than us! How could he be your classmate?”

“Second degree,” I said and took a bite.

He nodded. “And he has no idea that you work here?”

“Nope.”

He laughed. “Oh this is going to be fun!”

“HEY! You’re supposed to help me, not make fun of me!”

“We’ll talk about it later,” he took a bite of his food. “For now, don’t think about the idea that he might work here. We’ll find out at the end of the week anyway.”

I checked my phone to see the date. It was only Wednesday.

“Focus on work. We have a lot of things to do today.” He said and in that moment, I was grateful for him.

I was so distracted yesterday that I didn’t even realize we were planning Na Young’s launch. We were finalizing everything: who was going to cover, who was going in and out with her and who to keep an eye on. It was a small launch but knowing her father would be there, something was bound to happen.

We already knew the routine: disguise as guests, keep in close contact with Na Young and people who looked suspicious, and make sure that she gets home safe. I would be hidden in an empty office space near the location and watch through the hidden cameras. The only reason why we needed more people on our team was the other members were transferred to a different department. In all honesty, we did need the two men but did it really have to be him?

I sighed. Trying to not overthink about everything.

Hours passed by and it was finally time to leave the office. Ha Neul knocked on my door, knowing him, he wouldn’t let this slide. He peeked his head and smiled. “To the Firehouse!”

At first a lot of our coworkers teased us since we looked cute together, we didn’t let it bother us since we both really liked our friendship and didn’t want it to be complicated. Soon enough we were like two little kids, fighting over the silliest things. Sometimes we would even grab each other’s hair. We were that childish.

We got in the Firehouse, greeted Hyun Bin, and sat at the farthest booth. We ordered some burgers and sodas and while waiting, Ha Neul looked at me, waiting for me to tell the story.

“Do you really want to know?” I asked.

“YES!” He practically yelled.

“Fine, fine.” I gave up and took a deep breath. “We met during freshman orientation.”

~

“Hey, is this seat taken?” A guy asked.

I looked up and saw him smiling.

“No,” I said. “But this is the freshman orientation.” I said. He looked like an adult with a baby face.

“Oh, yeah I’m a freshman too.” He said and took a seat.

“You don’t look like one,” I said.

He chuckled. “Oh yeah, this is my second degree.”

 _Impressive_.

“I’m Lee Seung Gi by the way,” he offered me a handshake.

“I’m Kim Ae Na.”

We made a small talk; we were both in the same program: taking up criminology with a minor in psychology. He first took business because that was what his parents wanted him to take but he had a passion for giving justice to those in need.

That was the start of our friendship - we took the same courses and hung out all the time. By the end of that year, we were already officially together and people weren’t even surprised. We clicked so well.

We did everything together - shared our failures and successes, the bad moments and crazy memories, and dreadful mornings and good nights. We even moved in together by the start of junior year and planned the rest of our lives together. Everything was going perfect and all we had to do was follow the plan.

But of course, plans change. People change. Feelings change.

As I got off from my part time job at a local coffee shop, I immediately went home to prepare for dinner. I sent Seung Gi a message, asking him what he wanted to eat. A few minutes later, he replied.

**Seung-gi** : Hey, I’m sorry to do this through text. I don’t think I have the courage to face you right now. I need to break up with you. I feel like I haven’t tried many things in life because of our relationship. I want to experience doing things without you on my side. I want to try so many things but those things could ruin our relationship. It’s not that I don’t love you enough. I just don’t want to have regrets that I haven’t done much in my life. I’m so sorry Ae Na.

I was in denial. I went through our room, the cabinets, everywhere. All of his things were gone. There wasn’t even a trace of him in the apartment. I was confused as well - we were going to graduate in a week. He told me we were going to reach our dreams together; we were making plans about our future but I didn’t know he was planning one without me.

When he left, I didn’t know what to do or where to go, as if he was the only thing I knew. My world came crashing down; I almost skipped our graduation ceremony but my siblings forced me to. I was afraid to see him but he didn’t attend. I wasn’t sure if I was glad or sad that we weren’t able to march together. I was feeling everything at that moment. 

A few days after graduation, I left the apartment to move to a studio type. I didn’t want to stay in the old one - every corner reminded me of him. I applied to different companies with different lines of work as I packed. And the day that I moved in was the day Professor Lee Sang Yoon contacted me, offering me a job. At first I was hesitant but I had to pick myself up. I had to make myself proud. I just had to.

~

“He never contacted you?” Ha Neul asked and I shook my head no. “Why?!”

“I don’t know, and I hope I will never have to know.” I took a sip of my drink.

“Do you think he knows you’re here?”

I was silent for a while. I wanted to think that he knew I was here, as if he was looking for me.

“Do you want him to know you’re here?” Ha Neul changed the question and I smiled at him.

“You know, maybe hiring him wouldn’t be a mistake. Maybe it’s a way for you to get closure. Don’t you want to know the truth on why he left?” Ha Neul said.

“The less I know, the better.”

“The truth will set you free.”

“Are we throwing cliches now?” I laughed. “No, but seriously, I don’t want to know. I just want to live in this bubble where he left and that was it.”

“What if he gets hired?” He asked and I made a face. “How are you going to act around him? You’re going to be his boss.”

And that made me smile. “Ah, revenge is such a nice word.”

Ha Neul laughed out loud and then we made jokes about how we were going to torture the two men. By the end of the night, I paid for the meal and he drove me home even though it was only a few blocks away.

“Hey, thanks.” I said as I removed the seatbelt.

“Anytime, Ae Na. I always got you.” He smiled and drove off.

I was very happy to have Ha Neul as my best friend. He understood me pretty well and he was always there even when I didn’t ask for his help. Of course, I was always there when he needed me. Sometimes Na Young would get jealous since I spend more time with him but then she would see us fight and all her jealousy would go away.

I walked inside and went straight to Na Young’s room, just to check what she was up to. She was already asleep so I didn’t bother her anymore. I got into my room and prepared for bed.

_Ah, two more days before my life turns into a complete hell._


	4. Chapter 4

Na Young asked me to play with her as soon as I got home from work but she was too lazy to stream so we just played Call of Duty on our phones.

“Duo or squad?” I asked.

“We’ll warm up first so duo. I haven’t played on mobile for so long.”

I nodded and we got in the lobby. After a few rounds of wins, we decided to play in squad mode. I even asked Ha Neul to join us. 

We got a teammate right away, user bn_sj2013. She and Ha Neul turned on their mics while I closed mine since Na Young and I were in the same room anyway.

“Yo bn_sj2013, can you turn on your mic?” Ha Neul asked.

“Wassup, bro?” A male said.

“Alright, let’s go!” Na Young said. “Where do you guys want to land?”

“Practice Range!” I yelled.

“No, choose Pier!” Ha Neul said.

“Make me the jump leader.” bn_sj2013 ordered.

Na Young looked at me and I nodded. I didn’t mind on where we were going to land. I just wanted to play.

“Spread out as soon as the parachute opens,” he ordered again and I saw Na Young make a face. She hated it when people gave out orders like that.

We landed and started going through the houses, picking up the gear we needed, and called out if we saw an enemy. And then Na Young started screaming.

“HEY YO BN WHATEVER! THAT SNIPER IS MINE!” She yelled through the screen and I sighed. It was typical of her to act like this when she didn’t get the gear she wanted. Once she threw me a pillow for picking up a first aid kit.

“Find another one!” bn_sj2013 said.

I chuckled. Only strangers were allowed to talk to Na Young like that.

We were on the roll and won the first round. Ha Neul asked bn_sj2013 to play again and he agreed. I added him as a friend - he was a great player.

Another round and he was purposely making Na Young angry - he kept following her around, picking up the gun she wanted to get, and grabbing every first aid kit along Na Young’s way. I could see Na Young getting pissed and I told her to calm down and it was just a game. 

The last straw was when bn_sj2013 stole a kill from Na Young.

“HEY! CAN YOU FUCKING NOT?!” Na Young yelled and Ha Neul started laughing, which made Na Young more frustrated.

“The goal of this game is to kill, right? Why are you mad at me for killing someone?!” He replied.

“I NEED TO SHOOT IN ORDER TO UPGRADE AND CLAIM MY REWARDS!” She yelled. _“_ Don’t you know me? I’m Han Na Young! _”_ _  
_“So what?” As if stating her name would change his attitude towards him.

“THIS ASSHOLE!!!” Na Young shouted and it startled me, causing me to miss my target and made the enemy spot me.

bn_sj2013 laughed which made Na Young rage quit. She threw her phone to the sofa and went upstairs.

I opened my mic to talk. “Hey, sorry for that.”

He just laughed in return. We continued to play in silence, only shouting out if there was someone. In the end, we won first place. 

“Sorry again for my friend.” I said to bn_sj2013.

“No worries. I love annoying her.”

Speaking of the devil, Na Young went downstairs. “Hey, let’s go!”

I left the lobby, telling them I was done for the night. I already knew what was going to happen; whenever Na Young felt angry, we would drive to her favorite local coffee shop and just eat and drink away.

She drove quietly and only began talking after getting our orders - Iced Caramel Coffee for me while she got Iced Mocha, both decaf plus croissant and cheesecake on the side.

“I hate it. Why did I have to say my name?!” She said. “Why was I so frustrated?!”

I just let her rant. The coffee shop was empty anyway, no one would know.

“But he was such an ass for pulling such a dick move! I mean, Ha Neul didn’t even do that when we first met. Ugh! I hate it Ae Na!” She said and took a bite of her cheesecake.

“Hey, it’s just a game, you don’t have to be so mad about it.” I said and the door opened. “Stop talking, someone’s here.”

“I don’t care, I just hate it so much!”

_Ugh fine, whatever._

“That bn sj 2013 whatever his name is!” She yelled. “Let’s just go. Fuck him and fuck COD!”

I rolled my eyes. She was always like this when something didn’t go her way. Suddenly, the guy at the counter turned to us. “What game are you talking about?”  
“Call of Duty,” Na Young answered, then pausing. She looked at me and I immediately knew what she was talking about. The voice sounded familiar.

“I love that game,” the guy chuckled. Why did it sound so familiar?

Na Young didn’t say anything and I gave her a signal to leave. We both stood up and told her I was going to get the car so she could wait in front of the curb. I ran towards the car, which was a block away since the coffee shop didn’t have any parking space available. Once I got inside the car, I saw Na Young arguing with the guy from the coffee shop.

_What the fuck?!_

I immediately drove and all I could think about was how the tabloids would react when someone who could identify Na Young and they would immediately record this particular moment. It would definitely ruin her reputation, especially when her new product line was launching at the end of the month. However, the guy wouldn’t back down. I immediately ran towards her and pushed her away, bowing down in front of him and apologizing on Na Young's behalf. Na Young wouldn’t stop talking shit about this guy and I was tempted to slap her, not until another guy steps in.

“Seo Joon! Stop it. You’re arguing with a woman in public!” He yelled, which Seo Joon stopped talking.

I immediately recognized that voice. I closed my eyes, hoping I was mistaken but of course life didn’t turn out that way. I turned around with my head down, apologizing again and then when I raised my head, our eyes interlocked - and then everything came rushing back to me.


	5. Chapter 5

“Ae Na?” Seung Gi said.

“You know her?” Seo Joon asked him.

“You know him?” Na Young asked me.

_ This was not supposed to happen. _

My mind was yelling at me to say no but no words could come out of my mouth. I never thought this would actually happen, that I would see him again. I always thought I would eventually forget he ever existed in my life but of course, the universe has a funny way of things the other way around.

Seung Gi was staring at me. Maybe he didn’t think this would happen either or maybe he was trying to study the way I look. But I looked the same as five years ago, no glow ups. Just the same, simple Ae Na - only with shorter hair.

I snapped back to reality when I heard Na Young and Seo Joon fighting again.

_ Shit. _

“You know it’s just a game, right?” Seo Joon said and I already knew what was going to happen.

“JUST. A. GAME?!” She exploded.

It was time for me to step in. “Okay, that’s enough!” I forcingly carried her into the passenger seat. It was so hard because she was resisting, telling me to put her down so she could bicker with him more. I would but we were in public.

I pushed her to the seat and put her seatbelt on.

“Why are you stopping me?!”

I glared at her. “Do you want your name to be in the headlines tomorrow for yelling at a guy over a stupid mobile game?!”

That shut her up.

I closed the door and ran to the opposite side. “I apologize on behalf of Na Young.” I bowed down and got in, driving away without even putting my seatbelt on. Na Young was quiet on the drive home and I was relieved - I didn’t have to explain why Seung Gi knew my name. 

Once we got home, I made sure everything was locked. Na Young, on the other hand, was sitting on the sofa. Maybe she was still trying to comprehend what just happened. After all she wasn’t the type of person who would argue with someone in public but I guess something about Seo Joon that triggered her.

“You okay?” I asked and she nodded in response. “I’m going to sleep now.”

“Hey, how did he know your name?” She asked.

Just when I thought I was going to get away with it. “Who?”

“His friend.”

I sighed. I was contemplating if I should tell her the truth or lie about it.

“Ae Na?”

“Promise me you won’t go apeshit.” I held out my pinky and she did as well. We made a pinky promise and I sat down in front of her. “The other guy, Seung Gi, he’s my… ex-boyfriend.”

Her eyes were wide open.

“Well, we broke up a few years ago. He left me with a text, explaining he needed to go on with his life alone. I never saw him ever again.” It was better to tell her the simplified version. I didn’t really want to tell her the whole story. It was starting to make me feel the pain I suppressed years ago and I was starting to question why he left me so easily.

“How did he know Seo Joon?” She asked.

“I don’t know. I never met him before.”

“Are you okay though?”

I smiled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

She was about to say something but I cut her off, telling her to go sleep. We had a long night and I had work in the morning. She didn’t stop me anymore so I went to my room and slept. 

The next day was a typical work day: finalizing our plan for a high profile celebrity’s daughter's 21st birthday, which meant drugs, alcohol, and paparazzi. I always hated this type of assignment.

Politicians, members of the royal society, billionaires, and high profile celebrities mean the whole Alpha has to get involved in that certain event. Although we’ve already had a guideline on this type of situation, we still had to know the details of the event so we could go by accordingly.

We were in the meeting room and Professor Lee was dividing our tasks. We took a short break and he asked me to stay behind. I already knew what he was going to talk to me about.

“I know we talked about this before but since it’s under your department, you have the final call,” he said. “Do you want to hire those two men or not?”

“Do I want to hire more people, yes.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”  
“What if I say no?”

“Then your department has to work longer hours and you must be on the field, not hiding in front of the computer.” He answered.

“Can I talk to my team about it?” I asked.

He nodded. Before leaving the room, he gave me two folders - files of Seung Gi and Seo Joon. He left the room while I was scanning it. I already knew what Seung Gi’s credentials look like, after all the years we spent together, I was the one fixing his resume and paperwork. He only added a few training and certifications but nothing new. Seo Joon had potential as well, despite the fact that he didn’t get a degree relating to security but his experiences were enough to qualify him for the position. A short while, my team members came in: Ha Neul, Cha Eun Woo, Park Bo Gum, Oh Sehun, Kim Dong Joon, Yook Sung Jae, and Kim Seon Ho.

“So, we lack manpower right?” I said as soon as they sat down and they all nodded in return. “And you know they’ve already interviewed potential team members, right?”

“What’s this all about?” Eun Woo asked.

“Professor Lee told me that it’s up to me to decide whether to hire them or not, however I wanted to talk to you guys about it. I didn’t want to decide on something that would affect us all. I have their files and you get to check if they’re qualified to be part of us.” I handed Ha Neul the folders first. “If we don’t hire them, we might work longer hours and I have to be in the field.”

I gave them time to read the files and they were exchanging glances while doing so. I couldn’t read their expressions; I wasn’t sure if they were excited or not. They knew bringing in more people would mean hindrance on getting them a promotion but they knew we would work harder if we didn’t.

They all treat me like a little sister even though some of them were younger than me. They never called me “boss” or “ma’am”. I liked it that way - it made me humble and made me feel like we were a real family.

“Do we have to decide now?” Bo Gum asked.

“Kind of. They’ll start on Monday - if you guys say yes,” I said. “I want to hear each of your opinions.”

“I’ll start,” Seon Ho, the oldest, took the initiative. “We do need the manpower since we can’t keep borrowing people from a different department.”

“But we don’t often borrow, we only do that when we’re handling high profile cases.” Eun Woo countered.

Sehun nodded in agreement.

“If we get them, Ae Na has to be in the field.” Dong Joon said. 

“And that can’t happen,” Ha Neul said.

Even though I was capable of being in the field, they didn’t want me to. After all, they needed someone as a look out from the outside. 

“Can we check first to see if they deserve to be part of our team?” Sung Jae suggested.

Dong Joon smiled. “You mean like an initiation?” 

Everyone looked at Eun Woo, the last newest member of our team, and laughed.

“Hey! It still gave me nightmares!” Eun Woo said and I laughed again.

Our initiation was our team’s way of welcoming new members. A new member has to find its way out of the haunted house in less than an hour. Of course, it wasn’t really a haunted house. Ha Neul and I used to go to a haunted house in an amusement park every year and when Dong Joon was added to our team, we took him there as an initiation and he went in with Seon Ho, marking it as the team’s tradition. We asked the park if we could get copies of our walkthrough and they gladly gave us. Bo Gum was the fastest, Sehun and Sung Jae were the slowest, even scaring each other along the way, and Eun Woo went alone - and his footage was the funniest. Sometimes we would watch his footage just for the sake of laughs.

Bo Gum went back to his question. “I mean what if they can’t handle any of our cases? Yeah they have experiences but it’s not even half of what we do.” 

I agreed. “He has a point.”

“I don’t think Professor Lee would consider hiring them if they couldn’t handle it,” Sehun said.

I agreed again.

“We give them six months of probationary period and see how it goes,” Sung Jae said and they all nodded in agreement.

“What’s your say in this?” Seon Ho asked.

I sighed. We were all close anyway so I didn’t mind telling them small details of my life. “Can I tell you guys something personal?”

They all looked at me and that made me nervous.

_ Oh well, here goes nothing. _

“Seung Gi’s my ex-boyfriend. That’s the reason why I was hesitant to hire him because we didn’t end in good terms - although I wouldn’t mind working with him, as long as we set aside our own problems.” How many times was I going to repeat myself? Yes, he’s my one and only ex-boyfriend. I was already tired of telling it.

They looked at me in shock. In all the five years they knew me, I didn’t mention anything regarding guys that I’ve dated.

Dong Joon cleared his throat. “So basically that’s your only dilemma.”

I nodded and they all started throwing suggestions on how I would introduce myself as their boss. Some were serious, some were funny but Bo Gum’s suggestion was what we agreed on doing: Seung Gi and Seo Joon didn’t have to meet me since I was behind the screen and we all called each other by our English name when we were in the field. They would say I was always doing some other work - anything that wouldn’t make our paths cross in the office and if they ever need to say my name, they would refer to me as “boss”.

It was a nice idea so I adjourned the meeting and walked towards Professor Lee’s office. I realized that this whole ordeal would go on for six months and I wasn’t really sure if we could pull it off.

To hell with it. I’ve managed to avoid him for five years, I could do that in six months.


	6. Chapter 6

Apparently Professor Lee already called both men to say they got the job even before my team made a decision. He  _ knew _ I would be professional and hire them both. I just went back to my office and checked if I needed to do something but nothing. The rest of my team were with their clients and since there weren't any events to take care of, I was free to do whatever so I decided to come home early and cook dinner for Na Young. I know she has been waiting for me to tell her the story and it was nice that she wasn’t pushing me to tell her. 

I’ve been wanting to tell someone what I really felt but I wasn’t ready to feel  _ everything _ again - the pain he caused me, the happiness he gave me, and the love he showed me. Telling Ha Neul our story kind of triggered it but I’ve been telling myself not to think.

I texted Na Young that I made her dinner and she said she was coming home immediately. Cooking was one thing I wasn’t good at but at least I tried. She knew that this dinner meant me telling her the whole story. As soon as she got home, she immediately went straight to the dinner table and waited for me.

“OKAY SPILL!” She was so excited.

“You don’t want to eat my creation?” I asked, pushing her plate full of steak and potatoes.

“Food can wait, your tea can’t!” She said. She honestly looked like a puppy waiting for her treat.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, what do you want to know?”

“Everything!”  
“Specific questions please!”

“Give me the history!”

I answered her with the story that I told Ha Neul.

“So, you haven’t talked since then?”

“Nope,” I said. “Unless you count that night at the coffee shop.”

“Why is he even back?” She asked.

I shrugged and took a sip of my wine.

“Damn. How are you though? You must be taken aback.” She said and I nodded. “I mean, he broke up with you over a text? That’s such an asshole move.”

“Yeah and I spent the last five years thinking about what stopped him from doing all his plans without me,” I spilled and I wasn’t stopping. “Why was he afraid to tell me? Why did he think I wouldn’t be supportive of whatever he planned to do?”

She didn’t respond so I continued saying all my thoughts that I’ve kept for the past five years: how he didn’t try to reach out to me, how I felt like I wasn’t enough for anyone hence rarely stayed in a relationship, and how I started seeing myself alone in the future, which wasn’t really a bad thing.

Na Young looked at me. “You kept that inside for five whole years?”

I nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It never came up.”

“I asked you before if you’re dating someone!”

“Yeah, and I wasn’t dating someone at that moment!”  
“But still you could’ve at least said something! You’re so secretive, it’s like you don’t even want people in your life.” She told me and it hit me - ever since Seung Gi left, I had a hard time opening up to someone. Why would I let people in when they were going to leave anyway? What was the point of telling them everything but then you get nothing in return?

She continued to ask about him while finishing our meals and since I did the cooking, she offered to clean. I excused myself to go to my room, telling her I was exhausted and wanted to rest.

I got into my room and as soon as I shut down the door, I cried. I wasn’t sure why I was crying but the tears just kept pouring. I grabbed my phone and called Ha Neul.

He answered after one ring. “Hey, what’s up?”

I bursted out crying.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Words couldn’t come out of my mouth so I just kept on crying.

“Okay, I’m coming over.”

He didn’t end the call so I just waited for him to tell me he was downstairs. I sneaked out, hoping Na Young wouldn’t notice I was leaving.

He smiled when I got into the passenger seat. “What’s wrong?”

I took a deep breath before talking. “I told Na Young everything and all of a sudden, I started crying.”

“Seung Gi?”

I nodded. “It was like all the feelings I suppressed for the past years popped.”

“What were they?”

“Why was it so easy for him to leave me?” I said and tears started falling again. “All my plans included him and he just easily threw that away, as if I was never part of his future. “

“Have you considered talking to him about it?” He asked.

“What’s the point? Even when he answers all of it, it still wouldn’t change the fact that he willingly hurt me.” I answered.

He nodded and started driving. “Well, at least you wouldn’t have to question yourself.”

I already knew we were going to The Firehouse “The less I know the better.”  
“Didn’t you say that before?” We both laughed. It was nice to have a friend.

We both got in and it was fully packed. Hyun Bin saw and immediately gave us a small table, despite having lots of regulars. I guess he liked us the most.

We ordered beer and some fries since I was already full from dinner and continued talking about my thoughts. We both concluded that I was going to have a hard time once Seung Gi gets hired.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you the highlight of the whole story,” I said to Ha Neul and he took a sip of his beer. “Seung Gi knows I’m here.”

He spat out his drink and I started laughing. “WHAT?!”

I told him about the game we played and it turns out Seo Joon was our other teammate, how Na Young got into this whole argument with him in public, and Seung Gi saying my name. Honestly, it was nice to hear him say my name. I missed his voice. I missed him.

“Wait, what? And you chose to tell me why you cried in the first place?!” He said and I smacked his left arm.

“Hey! You didn’t ask me what caused it!”

“It happened yesterday and you didn’t tell me at work?”

“You left after the meeting!”

“Well you could’ve texted me!”

This was our normal conversation - us arguing about this type of thing. And this was the reason why I couldn’t see myself in a relationship with him: our friendship was more fun.

This lasted for a while, up until we realized Hyun Bin stopped serving us drinks after two rounds of beer because he knew Ha Neul was driving and drunk driving was a big no. We decided to go home around 2 in the morning, laughing all the way back to my house.

“Thank you,” I said before unbuckling my seatbelt. “You know you’re my best friend, right?”

“And so are you,” he smiled. “Go on, I’ll text you when I get home.”

I walked back to the front door and took a deep breath. A sudden realization that I was alone hit me and I felt like crying again. I turned around and saw Ha Neul waiting for me to get in. Tears were forming so I went inside and walked to my room, lost in the thought of I was never alone. People were always there for me but I didn’t see it. I needed to learn that they were both enough for me to be okay.

The weekend flew by easily; I did nothing but laundry and cleaned the house while Na Young was busy with shopping. She even got me some things but I couldn’t wear them anyway. Monday came by and I was scared to go to work that I even got in an hour early so I wouldn’t bump into them. When I got to my door, I removed my name and closed the blinds. I messaged my team, confirming the plan: avoid the two men at all cost.

9:30 came by and Professor Lee asked everyone to gather around. I hid behind Ha Neul while the rest tried to block people from seeing me.

“I want you all to welcome our two new recruits to The Alpha: Lee Seung Gi and Park Seo Joon!” Professor Lee said and everyone clapped their hands. “They will be joining Team B.”

Team A was assigned to the politicians and royal class, Team B was assigned to high profile celebrities and CEOs, while Team C was assigned to millionaires who keep it down low and bodyguards for the rest of our clients. Basically Team C was the biggest department since both Team A and B have 10 members each (including the two new hired men).

“Where’s your boss?” Professor Lee asked and I immediately ducked down.

“She’s running late.” Eun Woo answered.

“I guess you’ll be meeting her later on.” He said to the two men. “Why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

I got up again and saw Seung Gi step up. “Hello everyone, I’m Lee Seung Gi. I’m thirty-four years old and I hope I get along with everyone here.”

Everyone clapped in response.

Seo Joon took a step forward and cleared his throat. “Hi, I’m Park Seo Joon and I’m thirty-two years old. Nice to meet you all!”

Everyone clapped once again and Professor Lee told us to get back to our work. He immediately pointed the men to Ha Neul’s direction and I immediately went to my office. I put my ear against the door to hear what they were saying.

My team was introducing themselves and when they asked who the boss was, they said they would meet me soon. I took a peak and saw Seon Ho showing them their desk.

My phone vibrated and saw Sung Jae messaged in our group chat.

**Sung Jae:** Boss, you’re supposed to give us the plan for their training.

_ Ah shit. _

**Ae Na:** Oh right. Is anyone free?

**Sehun** : I am.

**Bo Gum** : Me too.

**Dong Joon** : Same.

**Ae Na** : Okay, Sehun - I’ll assign you to disguises. Show them why we need to do those and where we get to do it. Bo Gum - I’ll assign you to weapons. Show them where they are and when they’re needed. Ask them if they need extra training. And Dong Joon - I’ll assign you to show them our clients. Tell them to study each one. Oh and can anyone give me the result of their assessment test? Thanks.

**Sehun** : Copy.

**Bo Gum** : Got it.

**Dong Joon** : We’ll talk about what to do first.

**Eun Woo** : Do you want a daily evaluation?

**Ae Na** : Just give me a summary per day but give me a full detailed report on Friday.

I turned off my phone and opened my laptop. It was time to finalize Na Young’s launch. It was at the end of the month, which gave us three weeks to finalize everything. 

Dong Joon was in charge of online fans - anyone who said anything threatening to the launch will be immediately put in our database to ban them from entering the vicinity. Sehun and Sung Jae were in charge of the floor plan. Seon Ho was in charge of weapons and where the rest of Team C will surround. Bo Gum and Eun Woo were in charge of bodyguards in the vicinity; they were going to disguise themselves as models as well to make sure Na Young was safe. Ha Neul was in charge of security cameras and microphones and the guest list as well. I put Seo Joon in Na Young's makeup team so someone was near her. And the rest were audiences. I was going to be in the building next door where I would be observing the entire thing and tell them what to do and whatnot. Seung Gi wasn’t going to recognize me because Ha Neul would change my voice to something else.

This all sounded so simple but Ae Na’s part of a high profile family, which meant the guests were A-listers. We had to be extra careful. But on top of it all, I had to make sure Seung Gi wouldn’t see me.


	7. Chapter 7

A week passed by and I wasn’t bothered by the fact that Seung Gi was working with me; Seo Joon and him were busy studying the history of our present clients and basically trying to get to know the gist of the office. The guys did have lunch breaks with them except for Eun Woo, who kept me company in every aspect.

The birthday party was their first assignment as trainees. Seo Joon, Seung Gi, and Seon Ho were disguised as bartenders, Eun Woo, Sung Jae, and Sehun as guests, Dong Joon as a DJ, and lastly Bo Gum and Ha Neul as event organizers. The other security team were in charge of the paparazzi and trespassers while The Alpha’s focus was the well-being of our client. It was a house party, and we already predicted the outcome: one physical fight would happen, a bunch of drunk underage actors hooking up, and a lot of expensive things would go missing.

I was already set up in the next door house, keeping an eye on clients, as well as the two newbies - observing if they were fit in their role and to my surprise, they were adjusting to the environment well. I barely talked to them all night and was surprised to see them all well composed when a fight occurred.

The event ended at four in the morning and they were all exhausted that they went straight to the van and rested.

“Hey guys, good job!” I talked through the microphone. “Let’s go clean up so we can go home.”

“Hi Boss!” Seung Gi greeted me and I was frozen. I forgot that he didn’t know me.

“When are we going to meet you?” Seo Joon asked.

It took me a while to respond because I thought Seung Gi recognized my voice then I remembered Ha Neul changed it. “Oh, you’ll meet me soon. Go guys, enjoy the rest of the weekend before coming back to work on Monday.”

I turned off my microphone before they said anything else and packed all the things. I messaged Ha Neul that I was going to leave and he acknowledged my message.

Another few weeks came by and we did nothing but planned and prepared for Na Young’s launch. And the evening of the launch when we were all at the venue, we found out that it wasn’t a fashion launch but a launch of her new jewelry line - which was something we did not prepare for. Na Young kept it a secret the whole, even I didn’t know about it, and managed to tell only her clients. 

“Cali,” Ha Neul said my English name, “what are we going to do?”

I looked at the screen to see what they were up to. Bo Gum was still in his makeup chair while Eun Woo was standing nearby, acting nervous, not because of the runway but because of the fact that he has to wear a thousand dollar jewelry.

“Fuck,” I muttered to myself and closed my eyes. My mind was rummaging through different plans. We needed tighter security since we were talking about diamonds here, not some clothes. “Okay, here's what we will do: everyone listen, Dong Joon, Bo Gum, and Eun Woo, you will do what you were asked to do. Seon Ho and Sung Jae, please work with Team A and ask for tighter security around Na Young’s dressing room and where the jewelries are located. Ha Neul and Seung Gi, go together and make sure once the event has started, no one can enter anymore. Seo Joon, keep your eye on Na Young.”

They all agreed and went to work. Professor Lee was with Team A, protecting Na Young’s father. My head was already aching due to the stress. This was something we never thought would happen - yes, change of venues happen a lot but not change of product line.

As her friend, I must applaud Na Young and the people she told it to for keeping it a secret but as her bodyguard, this was the worst. She should’ve said something.

“Good evening,” the host, Carol Lau, said. “Thank you to each and every one of you for being here with us tonight. Most of you thought Na Young will finally release her anticipated clothing line however Na Young took a leap of faith and tonight, she’ll finally reveal what she’s been working on for the past year.”

I was dumbfounded. Whenever we talked about work, she would always tell me she was meeting with different cloth suppliers, designers, etc. I never thought she was doing all of this.

The lights went black and the light started to light up, synchronizing with the music. It was showtime.

I was checking thoroughly but I was more focused on Na Young. She was wearing a red princess gown while her hair was styled to a low messy bun with braids. I could tell that she did her own makeup but she looked like the queen that she always was. Seo Joon was in the far left corner of her room, looking unrecognizable with makeup and wig. He was dressed as an assistant of her makeup artist but never did he come near Na Young. I wasn’t sure if he was scared that Na Young might recognize him or not.

I remember watching him and Seung Gi during their first week in the office. Dong Joon was showing them her file and Seo Joon nudged Seung Gi and let out a small laugh. Seung Gi whispered something and Seo Joon asked Dong Joon if they were going to be introduced. Dong Joon answered no and proceeded to tell them that the clients only knew Team C as their bodyguards and that Team A and B always wore disguises. 

I looked at Bo Gum and Eun Woo’s screen: someone was accessorizing Eun Woo while someone handed over a cushion to Bo Gum. My guess was he was carrying the piece instead of wearing it. I checked the rest and it all seemed like everything was fine but I had a gut feeling that something was bound to happen.

Models started walking and so far so great. Seung Gi was coming back and forth, checking if something was off.

“Vincent,” I used his English name. “You look obvious.”

“Sorry Cali.”

I didn’t respond but he did try to not make himself obvious.

After a while, Na Young asked to be alone and I observed Seo Joon if he was going to leave or not. Of course he did. I let out a huge sigh. He should never leave her.

“Wesley, why did you leave? You shouldn’t leave her alone.” I told Seo Joon. Wesley was his English name.

“I’m going to stay here by the door,” he answered and I told Seon Ho to go to Na Young’s dressing room.

I watched Na Young. She looked nervous and all the sudden, she wore this gorgeous raindrop diamond necklace that matched her gown. I guessed that was the biggest reveal for tonight.

“Everyone,” I said towards the mic. “Keep an eye on Na Young.”

Eun Woo and Bo Gum were already walking down the runway and honestly if they weren’t working at The Alphas, they’d probably make it big in the fashion world. At least that could be their fallback plan.

Na Young finally stood up and walked out of her dressing room, startling Seo Joon. I made a mental note that he needed more training. Or maybe he wasn’t too comfortable around Na Young. I wasn’t sure.

“Places, people.” I said and watched Na Young and everyone around her. She walked towards the crowd and when they welcomed her with a standing ovation. Carol gave her the microphone and she nodded as a thank you.

“Thank you everyone for coming!” Na Young said. “I am so happy to finally showcase what I’ve been working on for the past few months. I know you expected a fashion line but this is something I really wanted to release since I started working with a good friend of mine who is a gemologist. The Raindrop Collection is a jewelry line that showcases my love for the rain. Everything the models have carried tonight will be available after the show and the necklace that I’m wearing right now is my favorite. We only made three of this so you better make sure you’re one of the lucky ones!”

The lights went out and all I heard was gasps. I panicked since the cameras didn’t switch to night mode and I heard Na Young scream.

“WHERE IS EVERYONE?” I shouted.

No one was answering me. The screen immediately showed the cameras in night mode and I saw Na Young being dragged by four men while the audience was running towards the exit. Seo Joon was nowhere to be seen, Bo Gum and Eun Woo were trying to move but the coordinator gathered them around, Ha Neul and Seung Gi were outside the vicinity, trying to get in but the audience were blocking their way. I couldn’t find Seon Ho and Sung Jae on the screens.

‘I’m going in.” I yelled over the mic and ran outside. 

We were taught on what to do when this type of situation happens and every time it happened, we always saved our clients. But this was Na Young, which made me more anxious. I couldn’t believe my best friend’s life was on the line.

I grabbed my pistol from behind and started running towards the venue. Thankfully I memorized the floor plan so I knew which way to go and Seon Ho started talking through our walkie-talkie.

“Cali, Cali!” He shouted. “The passageway!”

The passageway meant the employee’s hall. I was about to turn right when I could hear Na Young’s screeching while men were telling her to shut up.

“If we only needed her necklace, then why did we have to carry her?” One of the guys said.

“Just shut up. We’ll figure it out later.” One answered.

I took a deep breath and told myself that I thought of this as a training, only with a real life Na Young as the hostage and I was wearing a wig, a baseball cap, hoping I wouldn’t be recognized. I immediately planted a wire trap so as soon as they took a step, they got electrocuted and then elbowed a guy on the nose, kicked the other guy’s stomach, shot the other guy on the leg that made him release Na Young and headbanged the guy’s skull. When Na Young was free, I told her to run as fast as she could. A guy punched me in the face that made me take a step back. Na Young must’ve seen it since I heard her scream.  
“RUN!” I ordered her and then took a knife out of my right sock. I kicked away the wire trap and did my moves one by one. First was to jump and then kick the first person on the chest, punch the second person in the face, kick the next person’s knee, and then elbow the last person on the face. Gladly Seon Ho suddenly appeared and took care of the rest and I turned around to see Na Young watching.

“I told you to run!” I told her and immediately grabbed her away from the scene. We zigzagged our way out. She wasn’t saying anything but she held my hand, obviously frightened.

There was another guy waiting by the employee’s exit and just when I was about to show my pistol, Sung Jae opened the door and charged against the guy while Professor Lee took Na Young from me. The police came through to arrest the men so I discreetly left the scene and ran towards our vehicles.

That’s when I realized that my nose was bleeding and I felt pain on my left arm. Did someone punch my arm and I didn’t even feel it?

Ha Neul opened the door as I tried removing my makeup so I could treat my bruises properly. “What the fuck happened to you?”  
“Shit happens,” I told him and I had the urge to cry because of the pain I felt. This was my first time in a long time being in action and nope, I didn’t miss this.

Ha Neul told our driver to drive to our private clinic. I insisted on staying but he assured me that Professor Lee was taking care of the rest. I opened my phone to check the news and of course, headlines about Na Young’s situation everywhere. I messaged her, asking her if she was safe. She immediately replied with yes but she was staying over her parents’ house for the meantime. It was fine because I was pretty sure I was going to stay in the clinic for a while. 

Ha Neul carried me all the way to the clinic, as if I was paralyzed, but he wanted to. The doctor immediately checked my condition, and had every test done - from x-rays to blood test. I told them I needed ibuprofen for my headache but they didn’t want to give me medicines until the test results came back, which was tomorrow. Ha Neul left for a while to get some clothes at home and when he came back, he had this worried look on his face.

“Why, am I dying?” I asked nonchalantly.

He smacked my head lightly. “No, idiot. We have an emergency meeting tomorrow. Check your phone.”

I opened my phone and saw a message from Professor Lee, asking our team to be in the office tomorrow. I groaned.

Just when I thought shit was about to end, it only has begun.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you've been reading Coming Back to You since August 2020, please reread it again from the start. I changed the names and their roles in the story.
> 
> Thanks for reading CB2U <3

I already knew Professor Lee was going to reprimand everyone in my team despite the fact that we saved Na Young’s life. And since Ha Neul and I were at the clinic the entire night, we didn’t know what happened to the rest of the team but I was already ready to take the blame. I was their boss after all.

We only went down to the office once Sehun messaged Ha Neul, saying they were complete and were waiting for us and Professor Lee. I totally forgot about Seung Gi being in my team until I stepped out of the elevator.

“Fuck.” I muttered.

“Why?” Ha Neul asked.

“Seung Gi.” I looked at Ha Neul, who had a worried look on his face. “Oh well, to hell with it.”

“I’ll enter the meeting room first then I’ll just introduce you,” he said and I didn’t object, as if it would change anything.

I heard him enter the door and the guys immediately asked where I was. He told them to calm down. “Seung Gi, Seo Joon, it’s time to meet the boss.”

I opened the door and walked with my head down until I reached my chair. I immediately looked for Seung Gi’s face as soon as I sat down, wanting to know how he would react.

“Ae Na?” Seung Gi's reaction was genuinely surprised.

I ignored him and immediately looked for Seo Joon. “Where were you last night?”

“I-”

“Why weren’t you able to protect her? I told you to be there all the time and you couldn’t? Why did you even apply for this job?!” I was already angry but Seo Joon kept his head down. He knew he fucked up and then I felt sorry. “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t put the blame on you. Shit happens. But where were you guys? Shouldn’t you be alert?”

Bo Gum started talking about how the event coordinator held all models in one place since they were still wearing the jewelry, hence they couldn’t help me. Sehun was with Team C, Dong Joon and Seung Gi were stuck with the audience, trying to calm them down. Seon Ho and Sung Jae went to Eun Woo to check where Na Young was but I got there first before they could. And Seo Joon was pushed away by someone, probably one of the men, hence he couldn’t do anything. I was angry since our client was Na Young, not anyone else. But it already happened.

“What happened to you?” Bo Gum asked and Ha Neul answered for me and of course, the guys except for the newbies immediately ran up to my chair to check if I was okay. One was checking my pulse, the other was checking my bruises, and the other was making me stand up to see if I wasn’t paralyzed. I loved how they still treat me like their little sister even though I was their boss.

“I’m fine, I’ll get the test results later. Just sit down. We need to do something about what happened last night.” I said and Seung Gi was just staring at me, dumbfounded. 

Before neither of us could say a word, Professor Lee entered the meeting room. We all stood up but he signaled us to sit down. He sat down on the opposite end of the table. He looked at me and was surprised with the bruise on my face.

“I got beat up,” I said before he could even say anything. “I already talked to them and clearly last night wasn’t the best, as if this was our first mission, but we will try to make things better for the next mission. I will analyze last night’s situation and oversee all the areas we need to improve on. I’m sorry that my team was a bit of a mess but on the bright side, Na Young’s safe.”

Professor Lee cut me off. “You need to rest after this meeting. Ha Neul, stay with her until the doctors give her a go signal to leave, and you cannot live alone so ask whoever to stay with you or stay with your family for the meantime.” 

I stood up to object but Ha Neul covered my mouth. “She will be safe in my hands,” he smiled and I removed his hand. I glared at him but he was obviously happy to be stuck with me.

“Hey, I’m sorry for yelling. It’s done. Just do better next time, okay?” I whispered to him and he nodded but still kept his head down.

“Now that you met Ae Na, who is not in her best shape, your boss. You will attend to her once she has taken a rest but for now, Seon Ho, you’ll be the temporary boss and while Ae Na’s resting, all you will undergo assessments and training. About last night, Na Young didn’t sustain injuries but she may be traumatized from last night. I haven’t talked to her father about it but he told me it was best for Na Young to stay with them for a while which means Ae Na, you really have to be with someone since she won’t be there.” Professor Lee said and Ha Neul was nudging me. I already knew he wanted to stay at our house because of our computer room. I rolled my eyes in return. While Professor Lee was talking, I discreetly sent Na Young a message.

**Ae Na** : Hey, hon, how are you feeling?   
**Na Young** : I’m okay, just resting. Sorry if I won’t be able to come home. It might take a week or two.

**Ae Na** : Take your time. I know what happened must’ve been hell.

**Na Young** : I’m really okay. I just hate the fact that my dad wants to do a press conference this afternoon when I just want to stay in bed and rest.

**Ae Na** : Aww do you need anything though? Food? Plane ticket to anywhere but here?   
**Na Young** : Hawaii sounds good right now HAHA but nah, I’m good. I’ll go back to sleep before shit happens.   
**Ae Na** : By the way, Ha Neul volunteered to stay at our place since he’s scared that I’m alone.

**Na Young** : As long as he doesn’t touch my PC hahahaha.

I sighed in relief. I honestly thought she was injured but since she was doing okay, it was time for me to take care of myself.

Professor Lee asked us to step out of the room while he talked to Seon Ho and the newbies. I went to my office while the guys followed me.

“Hey, we’re sorry we weren’t able to protect you.” Sehun said.

“Your job is to protect our clients, not each other. Besides, I’ll be fine in a few days.” I smiled at them. “Please stop worrying about you. I promise to tell you if something feels off.”

They nodded in reply. They talked about what the media were saying and who was the mastermind behind all of it. I was a bit woozy so I planned to take a short nap but as soon as I closed my eyes, someone knocked on my door.

“Hey,” it was Seo Joon. “Professor Lee’s done talking to us so we can leave.”

“Let’s go get some breakfast.” Bo Gum suggested and they all agreed. I wanted to say no but Ha Neul would have to stay with me if I didn’t come with them. “I’ll ask Professor Lee to join us.”

We all walked out of my office and as soon as I closed my door, Seung Gi appeared on my side. “Hey, are you okay?”

I froze. I didn’t expect to talk to him this soon and I certainly didn’t want him to meet me looking like this.

_ Should I get mad? Do I hug him and say I miss him? Should I say something? Ae Na, SAY SOMETHING! _

“Hey, Seung Gi!” I said too excitedly. “Long time no see!”

Eun Woo and Bo Gum bursted out laughing.

_ Ae Na, NO! STOP TALKING _ .

“Are you okay? Do you want me to walk with you?” He offered and he didn’t even wait for my answer and immediately held my left arm. “Do you need the wheelchair?”

I shook my head no. I saw Ha Neul nudging the guys and they all looked at us. They were snickering at us while Seo Joon took a picture. I tried glaring but I had a black eye so it was unrecognizable. I wanted the ground to swallow me.

Professor Lee joined us and we all decided to go to the nearby breakfast diner, The Continental. Seung Gi and I were quiet as we walked. I didn’t know how to start a conversation nor did I not know if I wanted to talk to him. I was fine with the silence between us. 

We got in the diner and he helped me sit down. And as soon as he sat down, the men couldn’t stop teasing me towards Seung Gi and forced him to sit in front of me.

“Seung Gi, how was Ae Na as a girlfriend?” Seon Ho asked as he placed his hand over his shoulder. Seo Joon chuckled while Sung Jae started raising his eyebrows while grinning. Since we were not on duty, Professor Lee eased up and joined in.

“You guys were inseparable back then, now it’s Ha Neul and Ae Na,” he said and my heart started beating fast.

“Was she the one who got away that you were talking about?” Seo Joon said and everyone got crazy.

I forced a smile while they laughed away. I usually had something witty to say but I couldn’t do anything. Seung Gi’s face was so red but he was laughing along. I think we both knew it was better not to say anything.

“Come on, guys, spill something.” Sehun said.

“How long were you together?” Seon Ho asked.

“Why did you break up?” Eun Woo asked.

“You guys look cute together!” Dong Joon said and that made me look at Seung Gi, who was already looking at me. They all went crazy again, as if something really happened. Thank god we were the only customers or else people who’ve been annoyed.

“I wonder if they have pictures together.” Bo Gum said and Seo Joon suddenly raised his hand. He brought out his phone and I knew exactly what he was going to show.

Seung Gi’s first photo on Instagram was our picture together back in our old apartment with the old filter that everyone used in the app back then. I knew he never deleted it since Na Young stalked him a while back and found it. I didn’t even go through his social media accounts, afraid of what I might see.

Seung Gi’s eyes widened and tried to stop him but Seo Joon passed his phone to Bo Gum and cooed. “Awww you guys were so cute!”

They started to scramble over the phone and Seung Gi hit Seo Joon’s head. Professor Lee laughed along with the guys who were stil teasing us while I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t react because I didn’t want anyone to think I wasn’t over our relationship but deep inside I wanted someone to grab my hand and leave.

Thankfully the food arrived and they all calmed down.

Whenever we ate here, Ha Neul and I ordered the same thing and we would swap the other half of our other with each other. It became our thing. I always ordered fried chicken and waffles and iced coffee while Ha Neul ordered a plate full of pancakes and bacon and iced americano. Ha Neul would always take some waffles and a piece of chicken and put some pancakes and bacon on my plate. The others didn’t really think of it as much since we were best friends but I forgot Seung Gi was in front of us, staring at Ha Neul.

Ha Neul saw him and immediately raised his hands. “It’s not what you think. We always swap food.”

“Oh are you jealous?” Seo Joon asked.

“No, no, I was genuinely curious at what he’s doing!” Seung Gi defended and went back to eating.

It wasn’t even twenty minutes when we devoured all our food. I guess we were all hungry and tired. Professor Lee paid for our meals and then told us to go home - clinic for me - and rest before Monday rolled in.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Seung Gi asked and I just stared at him. I should be angry at him. I should shout at him. But how come I couldn’t do that now that he was in front of me?

Seo Joon stood up. “Let her rest. Look at her, that happened because of us.”

I let out a small smile. “Hey, this happened not because of you, alright? I’m fine. I got Ha Neul with me.”

Ha Neul put his arm around me and I yelped. Seung Gi immediately went towards me to check while the other guys asked what was wrong.

“My body’s still in pain, I’m fine. Don’t worry too much!” I told them. “Just don’t touch me unless I tell you to do so.”

Ha Neul immediately apologized and of course, my ex wasn’t satisfied. “I’ll carry you to the clinic.”

“Don’t!” I yelled and before I knew it, he was carrying me carefully in both arms. “Put me down!”

“You’re going to get more tired if you keep walking!” He argued.

“Well I can be in pain with the way you carry me!” I told him. I didn’t even realize how close his face was.

“Oh, so do you want me to carry you on one shoulder? I can do that. You’re light as a feather anyway.” He said and we kept arguing. I didn’t even realize he was already walking until the guys said their goodbyes.

“You know this is embarrassing, right?” I told him.

“I’m not even embarrassed.”

“You know Ha Neul could do this.”

“Yeah, if he was here. But he isn’t.”

I looked behind us and he was right. Ha Neul was nowhere to be found. “Where is he?” I asked and opened my phone. Ha Neul sent me a message saying he was going to go home to take a shower and he let Seung Gi take care of me for the meantime and he would be back before I knew it.

“Now will you please shut up and rest?” He ordered and I had no other choice. We didn’t talk and I felt my eyes shutting down. “Go sleep.”

I closed my eyes before falling asleep, I unconsciously wished he’d stay with me for a while. I missed him.

I woke up on the clinic’s bed and the first thing my mind looked for was Seung Gi and sadly he wasn’t around.

“Looking for him?” Ha Neul said. He was on the bed beside mine.

“Is it bad that I am?”

He chuckled. “You still love him, don’t you?”

“I honestly don’t know.” That was the truth.

“Well, he went home to rest. You, on the other hand, can go home tomorrow morning.” He told me.

I nodded and closed my eyes again. I let Ha Neul talk to the doctor since I was still a bit dizzy - Ha Neul listed down all the things I needed to do once I went home. I closed my eyes and wished for him to be here again.


End file.
